Robert and Lesli McVey started DADs Paws 4 Life out of their home in Stuart, Ia., last fall. They are seeking nonprofit status for the organization, which trains dogs to help humans manage type II diabetes.

Feb. 22, 2014

Lesli McVey trains with her husband's diabetic alert dog, Austin, at their home in Stuart, Ia. Using a scent board, they train Austin to recognize the smell of Robert's insulin highs and lows. Robert McVey has started a nonprofit group, DADs Paws 4 Life, to train diabetic alert dogs, and has begun training a second dog, Rogue. / Rodney White/Register photos

Written by

Estela Villanueva-Whitman

Special to The Register

Lab/weimaraner mix Rogue is being started on training with the McVey's. Robert McVey, who has started a non-profit group to train diabetic alert dogs. His group, DADs Paws 4 Life, is based out of his home in Stuart and he is a patient at the Iowa Diabetes and Endocrinology Center at Mercy Medical Center. He was diagnosed with diabetes in 2012. He began researching diabetic alert dogs when he was unable to afford a continuous glucose monitor and his insurance wouldn't cover it. McVey was unable to find anyone in Iowa who trains diabetic alert dogs, so he decided to train his own service dog, Austin. They went through an intensive 4-day training session in Seattle in December and McVey has been holding fundraisers to start the group. From his website: Diabetic alert dogs are trained to smell the biochemical body changes that occur as the insulin levels increase or drop.

Life with a service dog

Jessica Lohry, owner and head trainer of Dogwoods Lodge and a certified canine behavioral specialist, uses two diabetic alert dogs to help keep tabs on her Type I diabetes. She trained four alert dogs and helped 30 people train their own dogs. Now she only trains owners to work with their own alert dogs. “It’s time and money, but people also don’t think through what it’s like to live with a service dog,” she said. Lohry received her alert dog education as part of her coursework to become a dog trainer, as well as by attending conferences. She suggested that folks read reviews and always ask for references if looking for an alert dog. She’s come across owners who purchased dogs elsewhere that didn’t end up alerting as claimed. Reputable groups quote between $10,000 and $20,000 for trained dogs, depending on such factors as the time invested as well as breeding. Since she was starting out, Lohry charged for upkeep of the dog, about $3,500, and nothing for labor. She stopped because she had trouble finding people willing to pay the training cost. “I was spending all my time answering emails from people who couldn’t afford it or didn’t think it through,” she said. Living with an alert dog is a big commitment for owners. The dogs attract attention that most people can’t handle, said Lohry, who tries not to take her dogs out in public. Her dogs tug on her shirt when her blood sugar is low and lick her hand when her level is high. The dogs also alert to rises and falls in blood sugar, which happen throughout the day. Lohry noted that with better technology and accuracy in continuous glucose monitors, there may not be a big future for alert dogs. Her monitor wakes her up in the middle of the night faster than her dogs will, she said. Insurance coverage for the devices has also improved.

How to help

To make a contribution or inquire about a diabetic alert dog, contact DADs Paws 4 Life at 515-556-9575 or go to www.dadspaws4life.us

Rodney White/The Register - Jan 30, 2014 - Robert and Lesli McVey with their diabetic alert dog Austin, tranining at their home in Stuart, Iowa. Robert McVey, who has started a non-profit group to train diabetic alert dogs. His group, DADs Paws 4 Life, is based out of his home in Stuart and he is a patient at the Iowa Diabetes and Endocrinology Center at Mercy Medical Center. He was diagnosed with diabetes in 2012. He began researching diabetic alert dogs when he was unable to afford a continuous glucose monitor and his insurance wouldn't cover it. McVey was unable to find anyone in Iowa who trains diabetic alert dogs, so he decided to train his own service dog, Austin. They went through an intensive 4-day training session in Seattle in December and McVey has been holding fundraisers to start the group. From his website: Diabetic alert dogs are trained to smell the biochemical body changes that occur as the insulin levels increase or drop.

Robert McVey of Stuart, Ia., sits with his diabetic alert dog in training, Austin, which he is training with his wife, Lesli.

Sniffing the openings in the PVC pipe, Robert McVey’s retriever narrows down the compartments and detects his target: the scent of a low blood sugar level.

The routine is part of the training Austin goes through to help McVey monitor his type II diabetes. He’s the first diabetic alert dog trained by McVey and the inspiration behind the organization that aims to match similar dogs to other diabetics.

McVey and his wife, Lesli, founded DADs Paws 4 Life out of their home in Stuart, Ia., last fall and are seeking nonprofit status for the group. McVey was diagnosed with type II diabetes in 2012 and has a family history of diabetes — his grandmother and great grandmother had the disease and his father manages it with medication.

“I’ve grown up with it. The shocker for me was that my grandmother passed away when I was a freshman in high school due to diabetes complications,” said McVey, 42.

The condition has been life-changing, and McVey soon worried how diabetes would impact him in the future.

Over eight to nine months, he ran through a series of medications. He was allergic to certain pills and others failed to control his diabetes.

Dr. Anuj Bhargava, endocrinologist with the Iowa Diabetes and Endocrinology Center at Mercy Medical Center, finally switched him to an insulin pump. He also counseled McVey to use My Diabetes Home, an electronic platform created by Bhargava to track blood sugars and monitor medication costs.

Still experiencing serious low blood sugar readings, at risk for complications and concerned about related expenses, McVey began searching for additional alternatives. Alert dogs are trained to smell the biochemical body changes that occur as insulin levels increase or drop. While service dogs are more commonly used by type I diabetics, McVey’s case was hard to control.

Unable to find a diabetic alert dog trainer in Iowa, he learned that trained alert dogs across the country can cost $9,000 to $25,000. Most reputable organizations have a waiting list of 25 folks or more. There also is no standard certification for diabetic alert dogs, he added.

“I thought that I had trained dogs in obedience before, why can’t I train my own diabetic alert dog?” he said. “Technically anybody can do it; it’s just the time commitment.”

Lesli was also willing to help with training and had experience fostering shelter animals at their old home in Mitchellville.

The couple brought home Austin, a black Labmaraner, a cross between a Labrador Retriever and Weimaraner, in July when he was seven weeks old. They began scent training a week later, using books and online resources.

Scent training works using saliva samples collected from a patient when blood sugars are high or low. The samples are saved in gauze and then frozen. To keep Austin from eating the samples, the McVeys rigged up a PVC pipe system with drains on the bottom. They hide a sample in one of the compartments and treats or toys in the others for distractions.

“As we started the training, we thought, ‘Why can’t we do this for other folks?’ ” McVey said.

Austin was a quick study. Early on, he began licking McVey’s face when his glucose level was low.

“He was alerting me before we taught him,” he said.

Austin now uses a more appropriate alert, nudging his owner on the knee. His first official paw swipe came last month when McVey had been outside trying to fix a car and hadn’t yet eaten dinner. When he finally came inside, Austin swiped him with a paw to alert him of a blood sugar imbalance.

In December, the couple flew to Seattle with Austin for a four-day intensive workshop at the Service Dog Academy, with a donor picking up flight costs. They haven’t begun training to detect highs, but the trainer in Washington discovered that Austin was salivating when McVey’s glucose level was high.

Lesli has also been training Austin to retrieve her husband’s glucose meter and the hope is that the dog will also be able to fetch bottles of water or juice. When they’re out in public, Austin wears a vest and backpack to hold insulin and other equipment.

McVey anticipates training will take one to two years, depending on the client’s needs. They’ve begun training another puppy, Rogue, a chocolate Labmaraner, and expect she could be placed at 12 months. After that, they hope to train two more dogs.

The McVeys don’t have a set fee for the person who is matched with Rogue, the first Paws 4 Life dog being made available. The hope is that the owner can raise money to offset costs as she is trained. Donations would be tax deductible.

While the diabetic would take full ownership of the dog, the McVeys said they plan to continue to be involved throughout the dog’s life since a diabetic’s needs may change. The owners will also need to reinforce the training.

Not every client will be the right fit for every dog, McVey noted. There are also certain factors people should consider before getting a diabetic alert dog. If the owner is sick, someone else must care for the dog. Owners should also expect to be the center of attention when taking the dog out in public, McVey adds.

Because diabetes is an “invisible disability,” people ask questions and business owners may not always understand the reasoning behind an alert dog. McVey carries a binder that explains his condition and has Austin’s training records.

McVey says he tries to take Austin wherever he goes, including the grocery store, partly for education, but also training. He typically works from home and wants to make sure Austin is well-trained before taking him into his main office. All of the training at home needs to be repeated outside, McVey pointed out.

The family is collecting contributions online and has been at craft shows selling dog beds and collars made by McVey’s mother to benefit the organization. Austin tags along to help spread awareness of the group.

“It’s good experience for him to interact with the public,” McVey said.

In the long term, they hope to work with other organizations during training and have a separate training facility.

Depending on funding and demand, trainers could be hired to work with more dogs.